As mountain biking grows in popularity, more attention is being paid to the details of the intricate cycles. In 1985 I wrote a story about the sport of mountain biking and there was only one shop specializing in the sale of mountain bikes in Southern California.
The sport has come a long way since and now there thousands of mountain bikes to choose from. From all terrain mountain bikes, full suspension bikes and racing bikes. There are mountain bikes that are specifically made for trails other specifically made for high speed downhill runs. If you have never witnessed mountain bike racing on a downhill ski course during the summer months, you don’t know what you are missing.
The bikes featured as the five best mountain bikes of 2010 are not cheap but they are the best of the best. Anyone looking to ease their way into mountain biking there are plenty of available bikes in the 200-400 dollar price range. Don’t purchase any of the following bikes unless you have several years of riding experience.
Trek Bikes Fuel EX 9.9 $6189.
Trek Bikes top of the line bike is the Fuel Ex 9.9. The bike features the highest performance shocks, wheels and drive trains in it’s class. Trek Bikes Fuel Ex 9.9 also is the lightest bike Trek Bikes offers, for more information on the Fuel Ex 9.9 click here.
The bike is made of carbon and in their review of the bike, the website single track graded the bike highly for it’s smooth ride and adaptability to rough terrain. Single track highly recommended the Fuel Ex 9.9, to see the full review click here.
GT Bicycles Force Carbon Pro $5999.
The Force Carbon Pro made by GT Bicycles is their top of the line entry of their mountain bike division. The Force Carbon Pro features an all carbon lightweight frame and an array of Shimano gear equipment and braking systems. For a detailed 360 degree look at the Force Carbon Pro including a detailed list of all the equipment, take a look here.
On Bike Radar, a bike review website, a review of the Force Carbon Pro wasn’t all rosy but in the end recommended the bike for expert and cross country riders. The review by Dan Milner gave the Force Carbon Pro high marks for it’s handling on the open trail and low marks for traction on rocky trails. To view the entire review, click here.
Cannondale Moto Carbon 1 $6899.
Cannondale’s elite entry at the top of the mountain bike industry is the Moto Carbon 1. The Moto Carbon 1 features some highly exclusive products such as the innovative HammerSchmidt™ crank system and a new suspension that gives the Moto Carbon 1 better handling in tight terrain. See the full rundown of features on the Moto Carbon 1 here.
The Cannondale Moto Carbon 1 was reviewed by Mountainbike.com and the review was mixed. The review by writer Mike Cushionbury praised the bike for being light without being wispy and for pedaling well for a long travel bike. The down side Cushionbury noted was that it is a big bike and may be too much of a good thing for straight trail riding. To read the full review click here.
Marin Bikes of California Mount Vision 5.9 $6300.
The Mount Vision 5.9 by Marin Bikes is an aluminum mountain bike with carbon accessories. The bike is equipped with Fox front and rear suspension and Shimano crank set, gears and brakes. The bike is lightweight although Marin Bikes does not disclose the exact weight on their run down of the bike. See the full run down here. There were no extensive reviews of the Mount Vision 5.9.
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert $7700.
The new 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR takes all the elements of the previous Specialized Stumpjumpers but takes off a little weight and adds some key accessories. The bike is made of carbon and is one of the the lightest in the mountain bike industry. See the Specialized promotional video describing the new Stumpjumper here.
The Stumpjumper received a four star rating from Stuff.tv a gadgets gear technology website. The review praised the Stumpjumper for it’s great ride and it’s lightweight easy to handle frame. The website was not happy with the brain feature on the bike and said it was unnecessary for the performance payoff. See the full review here.
sources:
www.mountainbike.com
www.bikeradar.com
www.singletrack.com
